NAIROBI (Xinhua) --Kenya said on Wednesday that it is in talks with
neighbors in assessing the impact of non-tariff barriers given
numerous emerging challenges faced by Kenyan products accessing
the regional market.

Adan Mohamed,
cabinet secretary for East Africa Community (EAC) and regional
development, said the national assembly should redirect
legislative focus towards harmonizing EAC laws in the context of
various domestic laws to ensure they strengthen regional
integration efforts.

“We shall as a
ministry be hosting the private sector next week to distill all
the issues and develop a common approach to address them.
Shortly after we are going to convene an inter-ministerial
session to ensure alignment within government,” said Mohamed in
a statement issued in Nairobi.

Mohamed who was
speaking during a working retreat with the Parliamentary Select
Committee on Regional Integration said the apparent slow-down in
the implementation of EAC common market protocol decisions has
been seen to be hampering investments and capital flows to the
region.

He noted that the
members were serving at a time of great challenge to Kenya’s
regional pre-eminence.

“We must guard
against the constantly changing regional dynamics in the East
and Horn of Africa which greatly impact on strategic regional
interests,” said Mohamed.

He urged the
legislators to probe the various bills, reports and protocols in
the context of emerging regional dynamics.

Lauding EAC’s
contribution to Kenya’s export trade, which stands at 25 percent
of Kenya’s global trade volumes, he reiterated that Kenya need
to continue pursuing engagements with her neighbors to resolve
outstanding issues and protect her economic interests.